The present invention relates generally to a finger-operable pump dispensing package for fluent material. The invention more particularly relates to an assembly of components for mounting to a container to dispense fluent material from the container. The invention also relates to a process for assembling the components.
Finger-operable dispensing pumps are typically adapted to be mounted on hand-held containers. Such containers are commonly used for liquid or paste products, such as household and automotive cleaners, industrial preparations, and personal care products such as hair sprays, deodorants, colognes, and the like. Typically, some pumps operate with a suitable discharge structure, such as a mechanical break-up unit, to produce a fine mist or atomized spray, and other pumps operate to dispense a quantity of product in a liquid, cream, or paste form.
Finger-operable pumps conventionally employ a pump cartridge having a chamber in which is disposed a pressurizing piston that can be actuated by pressing down on an external actuator, button, or plunger which is connected to the piston with a hollow discharge tube or stem. The hollow stem establishes communication between the pump chamber and actuator from which the product is discharged. A spring acts against the piston or actuator to return the piston and actuator upwardly to the elevated, rest position when the finger pressing force is released.
One type of conventional spray pump package includes (1) a container holding the liquid contents, and (2) a product discharge assembly which includes a pump cartridge mounted at the top of the container with a closure. The pump cartridge includes an outwardly projecting product-dispensing stem. An actuator or button is mounted on the pump cartridge stem. A peripheral shroud may be mounted around the closure at the top of the pump cartridge.
Pump packages or dispensers are widely used for dispensing liquid products which may be cosmetic products, food products, pharmaceutical products, and personal care products. Typically, a pump dispenser for a relatively viscous product, such as a lotion or hair gel, is provided with some sort of locking mechanism to render the actuator or button inoperable by latching the button in a particular position which must be released by the user performing a manipulation on the button or latch mechanism. This insures that the product is not dispensed accidentally during shipping or storage when the pump actuator button might be subjected to inadvertent impact.
Locking mechanisms have not generally been widely used for dispensing pumps employed with low viscosity products. Low viscosity products, such as hair spray, are typically dispensed from a fine mist type of pump. Generally such fine mist pumps are provided with a hood, overcap, or other cover that prevents the actuator form being actuated unintentionally during shipping or storage. However, even a hood can be knocked off of the package, and that would leave the actuator unprotected such that the actuator could be inadvertently bumped and perhaps partially depressed or actuated.
In those designs where a hood is employed, the disadvantages are that such a hood is an additional component that must be provided by the manufacturer, and the hood must subsequently be removed from the pump by the user (and perhaps retained by the user for subsequent replacement on the pump).
In some types of pump dispensers, whether or not a hood or overcap is provided, the button or actuator mounted to the dispensing pump stem might be relatively easily pulled off (after any hood is removed), or otherwise separated from, the dispensing pump stem. In many applications, it would be desirable to provide a system that would make the removal of the actuator or button from the stem more difficult. Further, such an actuator retention system or feature should accommodate ease of manufacture, and should preferably not otherwise hinder or degrade normal operation. Further, such an actuator retention system should preferably accommodate the optional use of an actuator locking system to prevent operation of the actuator when the pump dispensing package is being shipped or stored or is otherwise not in use.
It would be desirable to provide an improved pump-type product discharge assembly for a dispensing package which could be readily employed on a variety of pumps, including fine mist spray-type pumps. Such an improved assembly should minimize the likelihood of the actuator or button being inadvertently separated from the dispensing pump.
Preferably, the improved pump-type product discharge assembly should offer a relatively robust design to prevent dislodgement of the actuator from the package during impact, such as when the package is dropped or bumped.
It would also be desirable to provide an improved method for assembling the components of an improved discharge assembly for a pump dispensing package. Such an improved method should not require an excessive number of manufacturing steps and should permit the components to be readily put together as an assembly that can be readily installed on a container.
The improved product discharge assembly should also accommodate use with standard containers or bottles, including bottles with conventional threads or custom threads as well as different connection mechanisms.
It would also be desirable to optionally provide an improved pump-type product discharge with not only an actuator retention system, but also with an actuator locking system assembly which would not require a special hood to cover the top of the actuator to protect the actuator from being prematurely actuated during shipping or storage. The elimination of such a hood would reduce the product cost.
Even where an actuator retention system is not provided, it may be desirable in some applications to provide at least an improved locking mechanism for preventing the actuator from being unintentionally actuated. Such an improved locking mechanism should have a robust structure that provides a tactile indication to the user that the locked and unlocked positions are being reached as the components are manipulated by the user.
It would also be beneficial if an improved product discharge assembly for a pump dispensing package could accommodate incorporation of a more aesthetically pleasing design.
It would also be desirable to provide an improved design of the assembly constituent components which could be relatively easily molded and that would facilitate economical manufacture, high production quality, and consistent operating parameters unit-to-unit with high reliability.
Such an improved design should also desirably provide a system which can be economically assembled and installed by automatic equipment and which will not require the user to effect a final assembly step.
Such an improved system should also desirably accommodate designs which would protect the user""s finger from injury or discomfort during actuation of the pump.
The present invention provides an improved system which can accommodate designs having the above-discussed benefits and features.
The present invention provides a pump-type product discharge assembly which can be incorporated as part of a pump dispensing package.
According to one aspect of the invention, the product discharge assembly includes a finger-operable pump cartridge having a product discharge stem, a closure for mounting the pump cartridge on a container, an actuator for mounting on the stem of the pump cartridge, and a shroud surrounding portions of the pump cartridge, closure, and actuator.
The assembly makes removal of the actuator from the pump cartridge stem more difficult. The design of the assembly can be made relatively robust to tolerate impact on, or dropping of, the package with a reduced likelihood that the actuator will separate from the pump cartridge stem.
Further, the assembly can be optionally combined with additional design features that enable the actuator to be releasably locked in an inoperable condition. With such an additional locking design, the assembly must be manipulated by the user to reposition the actuator from a releasably locked condition to an unlocked condition so that the actuator can be subsequently actuated or operated to dispense product.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for making a product discharge assembly for a container of fluent material. The method accommodates less costly manufacturing techniques. The completed product discharge assembly can be readily installed on a container with conventional automatic installation equipment.
According to a presently preferred embodiment of a first aspect of the present invention, a product discharge assembly for a container of fluent material includes a finger-operable pump cartridge, a closure, an actuator, and a shroud. The finger-operable pump cartridge has an outwardly projecting, reciprocatable product dispensing stem biased to an elevated rest position. The pump cartridge is adapted to be installed in the mouth of a container.
The container has a connection feature adjacent the mouth (e.g., a thread, bead, or other suitable conventional or special connection feature). The closure is adapted for mounting around the pump cartridge on the container at the container mouth. The closure has a connection feature for mounting with the container connection feature to connect the closure to the container. The closure connection feature may be, for example, a thread for threadingly engaging a thread adjacent the mouth of the container. The closure may instead include different connection features, such as a bead or other conventional or special connection feature.
The closure includes a retention feature for engaging a portion of the pump cartridge to retain the pump cartridge on the container. The closure includes an opening into which the pump cartridge can project. The closure also has a peripheral engagement feature for engaging the shroud as discussed below.
The actuator is adapted to be mounted on the pump cartridge stem. The actuator has a dispensing passage for establishing fluid communication between the stem and the exterior of the actuator. The actuator includes a finger-engagable region that can be subjected to force imposed by a finger to urge the stem further into the pump cartridge. Further, according to one aspect of the invention, the actuator also includes a skirt with a flange extending from, and continuously around, the skirt.
The shroud has a central cavity open at opposite ends for receiving the closure and actuator mounted on the stem. The shroud has an internal engagement feature for engaging the closure peripheral engagement feature to secure the shroud to the closure. The shroud also has a lip for engaging the actuator flange to inhibit removal of the actuator from the stem if the actuator is moved outwardly relative to the stem beyond a predetermined position.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for making a product discharge assembly for a container of fluent material. The method includes the following steps:
(A) providing a finger-operable pump cartridge that (i) has an outwardly projecting, reciprocatable, product-dispensing stem biased to an elevated rest position, and (ii) is adapted to be installed in a mouth of a container that has a connection feature adjacent the mouth;
(B) providing a closure that is adapted for mounting on the container at the mouth and that has (i) a connection feature for mating with the container connection feature to connect the closure to the container, (ii) a retention feature for engaging a portion of the pump cartridge to retain the pump cartridge on the container, (iii) an opening into which the pump cartridge can project, and (iv) a peripheral engagement feature;
(C) providing an actuator that is adapted for being mounted on the stem and that has (i) a dispensing passage for establishing fluid communication between the stem and the exterior of the actuator, (ii) a finger-engagable region that can be subjected to force imposed by a finger to urge the stem further into the pump cartridge, and (iii) a skirt with a flange extending from, and continuously around, the skirt; and
(D) providing a shroud having (i) a central cavity open at opposite ends for receiving the closure and actuator mounted on the stem, (ii) an internal engagement feature for engaging the closure peripheral engagement feature to secure the shroud to the closure, and (iii) a lip for engaging the actuator flange to inhibit removal of the actuator from the stem if the actuator is moved outwardly relative to the stem beyond a predetermined position;
(E) disposing the pump cartridge in the closure;
(F) installing the actuator on the stem; and
(G) securing the shroud to the closure with at least portions of the pump cartridge, actuator, and closure received in the shroud central cavity to orient the shroud lip above the actuator flange.
According to another aspect of the invention, a novel product discharge assembly is provided for a container of fluent material, but the assembly need not have an actuator with a retention skirt. This independent novel aspect of the invention provides a releasable locking system for the actuator to prevent inadvertent actuation of the pump. The assembly includes a finger-operable pump cartridge that (i) has an outwardly projecting, reciprocatable, product-dispensing stem biased to an elevated rest position, and (ii) is adapted to be installed in a mouth of a container that has a connection feature adjacent the mouth.
The assembly also includes an actuator that is adapted for being mounted on the stem. The actuator includes (i) a dispensing passage for establishing fluid communication between the stem and the exterior of said actuator, (ii) a generally axially oriented rib that (a) projects radially inwardly from the actuator skirt, (b) has a lower end surface, and (c) has a lateral surface portion.
The assembly also includes a closure for mounting on the container at the mouth. The closure includes (i) a connection feature for mating with the container connection feature to connect the closure to the container, (ii) a retention feature for engaging a portion of the pump cartridge to retain the pump cartridge on the container, (iii) an opening into which the pump cartridge projects, (iv) a slot that (a) opens radially outwardly and is oriented generally parallel to the actuator reciprocation directions for receiving the rib, and (b) is defined at least in part by two spaced-apart sidewalls, (v) a generally axially oriented rear guide wall that (a) extends from the slot to a first circumferential location from the slot where the rear guide wall terminates in a first retention surface, and (b) defines a cam surface projecting further radially outwardly with increasing distance from the slot so that the rib engages the cam surface with increasing force as the rib moves along the cam surface away from the slot, (vi) an abutment surface that (a) extends from the slot to a second circumferential location that is further from the slot than is the first circumferential location, and (vii) a second retention surface projecting from the abutment surface at the second circumferential location to define a receiving space between the first and the second retention surfaces. The rear guide wall deflects the rib radially outwardly as the actuator is rotated to move the rib toward the receiving space whereby the rib is resiliently urged into the receiving space when the rib has been rotated past the first retention surface. This provides the user with a tactile sensation of increasing resistance as the actuator is rotated toward the locked position, at which locked position the actuator rib snaps into the receiving space.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings.